Pharmaprojects R&D Pipeline News Feed
Bad news for Vertex Pharmaceuticals' aurora kinase inhibitors
29 Nov 2007
Vertex Pharmaceuticals' pipeline suffered a setback after its two anticancer aurora kinase inhibitors, VX-680 and its follow-on compound VX-667, were suspended and discontinued, respectively.
The news for VX-667 came after it failed to meet pharmacokinetic objectives in a Phase I trial in advanced solid tumours. Suspension of enrollment in the Phase II trial for VX-680, which was being investigated in treatment-resistant chronic myelogenous leukaemia and Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphocytic leukaemia, was announced by Merck & Co., Vertex' partner on the project, after 1 patient experienced QTc elongation.
Aurora kinases regulate chromatid segregation during the mitosis stage of cell division and are overexpressed in several types of cancer, suggesting a potential target for the treatment of such cancers. Pharmaprojects lists 29 aurora kinase inhibitors currently under development, with only two others - Astex Therapeutics' AT-9283 and Nerviano Medical Sciences' PHA-739358 - having reached Phase II trials, suggesting that there could be a long wait yet before an aurora kinase inhibitor reaches the market.
Vertex has one more anticancer at Phase II, VX-944, an inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor which recently showed positive results in haematological malignancies.
